Two for Texas (TV 1998)

In 1836, two prisoners escape from a Louisiana chain gang run by a vicious strong boss. In the process of the escape, the strong boss is killed which sets his brother, the ex-warden on a ... See full summary »

Director:

Rod Hardy

Writers:

James Lee Burke (novel), Larry Brothers (teleplay)

Stars:

Kris Kristofferson, Scott Bairstow, Irene Bedard

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kris Kristofferson	...	Hugh Allison
Scott Bairstow	...	Son Holland
Irene Bedard	...	Sana
Tom Skerritt	...	Sam Houston
Peter Coyote	...	Jim Bowie
Victor Rivers	...	Emile Landry
Tom Schuster	...	Alcide Landry (as Thomas Schuster)
Rodney A. Grant	...	Iron Jacket
Marco Rodríguez	...	General Santa Anna
Karey Green	...	Susannah Dickinson
Richard Andrew Jones	...	Deaf Smith (as Richard Jones)
Richard Nance	...	Pike the Outlaw
Lonnie Rodriguez	...	Sergeant Major
Julio Cedillo	...	Lietenant Herrera (as Julio Cesar Cedillo)
Woody Watson	...	Lieutenant Burnett

Storyline

In 1836, two prisoners escape from a Louisiana chain gang run by a vicious strong boss. In the process of the escape, the strong boss is killed which sets his brother, the ex-warden on a chase of the men. However, the two join up with Sam Houston's army to fight the Mexicans which also sets them free from previous charges. The ex-warden then sells guns to the Mexicans which leads to the Alamo massacre and the death of their friend, Jim Bowie. The two then lead the avenging charge at San Jacinto that settles the war.

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Plot Keywords:

chain gang | alamo | epic | epic battle | 1830s | 

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Taglines:

Prison made them tough. War made them heroes.

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Genres:

Crime | Western

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Details

Official Sites:

TNT

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Em Defesa do Texas

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bleecker Street Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Good battle scenes -- for '98 vintage TNT...

The pacing of this thing is pretty languid, but by-and-large, it's an entertaining history lesson. The action -- particularly the final battle scene -- is a pleasant surprise.

CONS: A few shenanigans with the historical facts, but nothing too glaring. Some suspicious time compression at the Alamo. (And Bowie's knife wasn't looted? Hmm...) Oh, and I think Tom Skerrit, although talented, was a questionable choice for the mythic (and 6'6") Sam Houston.

PROS: The rest of the cast -- the two principals were thoroughly believable. ACTUAL Texas shooting locales. Practical ("real") SFX: when a cannonball takes out a tree, it's a real tree taken apart by real explosives. And best of all, Irene Bedard in her physical prime.